1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for testing football helmets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various activities, such as contact sports, and in particular the sport of football, require the use of helmets to attempt to protect participants from injury to their heads due to impact forces that may be sustained during such activities. Various types of helmets have been in use in the sport of football, ever since individuals began wearing helmets to attempt to protect their heads many years ago. Typically, these helmets have included: an outer shell, generally made of an appropriate plastic material, having the requisite strength and durability characteristics to enable them to be used in the sport of football; some type of shock absorbing liner within the shell; a face guard; and a chin protector, or chin strap, that fits snugly about the chin of the wearer of the helmet, in order to secure the helmet to the wearer's head, as are all known in the art.
Various standards have been proposed and used for testing football helmets, such as the standards promulgated by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (“NOCSAE”). Prior test standards and tests for football helmets were directed to measuring linear head accelerations, when the shell of the helmet has an impact force imparted upon it. Typically, the football helmet was suspended above an anvil disposed on a laboratory floor, and the helmet was permitted to drop, or free-fall, until it struck the anvil. Thus, prior test standards and test methods and equipment only considered linear head accelerations when testing football helmets. Football helmets were not tested or evaluated as to their ability to protect against not only linear head acceleration, but also rotational head acceleration, caused by impact forces upon the helmet.
While it is the desire and goal that a football helmet prevent injuries from occurring, it should be noted that due to the nature of the sport of football in particular, no protective equipment or helmet can completely, totally prevent injuries to those individuals playing the sport of football. It should be further noted that no protective equipment can completely prevent injuries to a player, if the football player uses his football helmet in an improper manner, such as to butt, ram, or spear an opposing player, which is in violation of the rules of football. Improper use of a helmet to butt, ram, or spear an opposing player can result in severe head and/or neck injuries, paralysis, or death to the football player, as well as possible injury to the football player's opponent. No football helmet, or protective helmet can prevent head, chin, or neck injuries a football player might receive while participating in the sport of football. It is believed that no helmet can, or will ever, totally and completely prevent head injuries to football players.
The method and apparatus for testing football helmets of the present invention, when compared to previously proposed methods and apparatus for testing football helmets, has the advantage of being capable of delivering and measuring not only the ability of the helmet to protect against linear head acceleration, but also rotational head acceleration.